From Royal To Ranger
by Lily Hanson
Summary: Prince Phillip returns to Amber Beach eager to become a Ranger. But there's something standing in his way.
1. Lend A Robotic Hand

_Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers Dino Charge. This story is fan-made._

"Chase!" Cammy shouted as she raced into the museum with a paper in her hands. "Chase! Chase, where are you?"

She had already checked the cafe, but a waitress there told her that Chase was working on the museum floor. Cammy didn't know where in the museum he could be so she had taken to running through the whole building. When she passed Kendall, the older woman stopped her, grabbing her by the arm.

"Cammy, you're not supposed to run! What if you knocked over...?"

"Where is Chase," Cammy asked. "I need to find Chase! My homework depends on it!"

"Homework? Cammy, I can..."

"It needs to be Chase," Cammy pulled her arm free and started to run again. "Chase! Chase, are you... ah!"

She screamed, jumping back when, from out of nowhere, the black Ranger appeared with a smile.

"Sorry, mate," he chuckled. "Kendall asked me to fix one of the banners. What's up?"

Cammy handed Chase the paper, letting him read it. Chase smiled.

"You picked New Zealand?"

"Ms. Patterson said we had to pick any country except America," Cammy said. "So I picked New Zealand. I need a report and a presentation board. Can you help me with that?"

"Absolutely," Chase nodded his head and scooped Cammy up in his arms. "Alright, to start, New Zealand is the most beautiful country on the planet..."

Chase was interrupt when he heard his Dino Com buzz. He sighed and set Cammy down on her feet before turning to Kendall. She gave him a little nod and he knew that meant there was trouble.

"This will have to wait until I get back, alright?" Chase told her. "When do we need to get this done?"

"Uh... tomorrow," Cammy answered nervously while rocking back and forth on her feet. "You... You can get it done by then, right?"

"I... Alright, we'll try to kick butt fast," Chase said before he took off. Cammy watched him go, then turned to Kendall who had her arms crossed.

"Camille, how long ago was this assigned to you?"

"As long as it's done tomorrow, who cares?" Cammy asked. Kendall snatched the assignment sheet from Cammy to read it over.

"Cammy, this is a full report! Even with Chase's help, you'll be up all night!"

"It's only grade three, Kendall," Cammy took the paper back. "It can't take that long. Besides, don't you have a battle to help the Rangers win?"

"I... We'll talk about this later," Kendall said before rushing down to the lab. Cammy held up her assignment sheet again, reading over it. The list was quite daunting, and Ms. Patterson had warned the class to do a little work on the project every night. But Cammy thought, with Chase being from New Zealand, the homework would be easy.

She could only hope she was right. She didn't have all night and she didn't want to fail the first assignment of the year.

She made her way down the lab. It would be Chase's first stop after the fight so she figured it would be faster if she was waiting for him. But when she got downstairs, she saw something strange on Kendall's screen.

"Is that a robot?" she asked before excitedly turning to her sister. "Whoa, did you make a robot Ranger?"

"This is not my work," Kendall shook her head and Cammy could see her doing something on the computer. "If anything, this is the work of an amateur. This robot is completely useless!"

"Looks like it," Cammy pointed to the screen, where the robot was fumbling in his fight against the viviks. He was falling over more than anything, and though the viviks couldn't really get a good shot in against him, he wasn't doing anything to stop them trying. "I could do better than that."

"I'd rather have you out there than it," Kendall muttered. "You'd at least know to stay out of the way. This thing is just an inconvenience."

"Hey, look, Fury's running away," Cammy pointed out with a smile. "Maybe that robot is doing something."

"Unlikely," Kendall shook her head. "I think we just got lucky. Rangers, once you're done with the viviks, figure out what that robot's doing and who is behind it. We can't let him interfere with another battle."

"On it," Tyler answered as the viviks disappeared, but Chase shook his head.

"Think you guys can do this without me? I promised Cammy I'd be back quickly. She needs help."

"We've got this," Tyler nodded his head. Chase powered down and rushed off, leaving the other five Rangers to get a closer look at the robot. As they approached it, they heard it repeatedly muttering about an error and it wouldn't stop walking into the wall.

"Well, that's what trial runs are for," someone said and the Rangers turned around, surprised to see Prince Phillip was back in town. And he was holding a controller, allowing the Rangers to assume that the robot before them belonged to him.

At least, most of the Rangers assumed so. Once Tyler saw Prince Phillip, his vision turned as red as his suit.

" _Sledge asked for the energem. The Prince refused to give it up and ran off, leaving me. I couldn't exactly let Sledge get it, or hurt him. So I whacked Poisandra."_

" _He abandoned you? He just up and ran and let Sledge do this?"_

" _Chivalry might be completely dead in Zandar. Though, really, I should have seen that coming when he chose the energem over me with Fury."_

Tyler walked up to the prince, clenched his fist then decked him, right in the side of the face. Prince Phillip hit the ground and Tyler was immediately grabbed and pulled back by Koda and Shelby, while Riley and Ivan went to help the Prince get back up.

"Let him go," Tyler commanded his teammates. "The guy is scum."

"He is a Prince of Zandar," Ivan said, dusting off the Prince's jacket and asking if he would be fine. When Phillip nodded, Ivan turned back to Tyler. "You are not to harm the heir to the throne of Zandar..."

"Like he hasn't earned it," Tyler snapped and the Rangers noticed the Prince lower his head. He picked up his console.

"I'm here to make up for my mistakes," the Prince announced. "I figured you Rangers could use a hand, so I had this robot designed to help in battle. To make up for... well..."

"You can't even say it?" Tyler asked.

"Say what?" Shelby frowned.

"She was hurting for a week," Tyler said to the Prince. "Sledge really did a number on her, you know."

"Sledge?" Riley looked to Tyler. "Is this about what Sledge did to Ms. Morgan? Tyler, the Prince wasn't even there when it happened."

Tyler pointed a look to the Prince, "If you don't tell them, I will."

"She is alright?" the Prince asked. "Your friend, she made it out..."

"Barely," Tyler said. "Thanks to Keeper."

"You lied before," Shelby frowned as she put the pieces together. "Last time you were here, you said you didn't see Ms. Morgan..."

"He ran," Tyler finished for Shelby and looked to the Ranger. "They bumped into Sledge together and this _Prince_ turned the other way."

The Prince looked down at his controller while the Rangers, including Ivan, backed away from him. The gold Ranger seemed the most shocked.

"You left a lady in peril?"

"I regret my actions. I do," the Prince insisted. He pointed to his robot. "That's why I came back. To make up for my errors, I want to help you Rangers. My robot, he was..."

"Useless," Shelby crossed her arms over her chest. "In fact, he was worse than useless. He got in the way."

"He... he did?" the Prince asked. Suddenly, Riley tapped Tyler on the arm, calling out to the Rangers.

"And they're taking him away!" he called out. The Rangers and the Prince turned around to see some viviks carrying off the robot that had strayed during their talk. They ran, trying to catch up to the aliens, but they weren't fast enough. The viviks disappeared around the corner, taking the robot with them.

"They can't control it without the remote," the Prince assured the Rangers, holding up his controller. Tyler snatched it from his hand.

"You better hope you're right about that," he said before storming off in a huff. Riley and Shelby were right behind him. Koda stayed back. He stood in front of the Prince and puffed his chest. His nostrils flared and Koda growled menacingly.

"Stay away from Kendall," he grunted, striking fear into the heart of the Prince, who was fortunate enough to be spared Koda's full wrath. The cavemen then turned away, following his friends back to the lab. The Prince looked over to Ivan.

"I am sorry, your highness," Ivan told him. "But I can neither support nor defend such an act of cowardice."

"But she knows more about this than me," the Prince said in his own defense. "She knows what those monsters are capable of. She was better off than I was... I... I'll make it up to them. To the whole team. Just give me a chance?"

Ivan sighed. He looked over his shoulders at his retreating teammates, then back to the Prince. He was torn between two loyalties. Long ago, he had pledged himself to the royal family of Zandar, swearing to keep them safe and stand by their side no matter the circumstances. Even if a knight didn't agree with his ruler, he was loyal to the throne.

However, Ivan had also sworn his loyalty to the Rangers. They were, for lack of a better word, his friends. They had taken him in, they fought by his side. He couldn't disappoint them.

"You will need to prove yourself repentant," Ivan explained. "Several good deeds will be needed to make up for this mistake."

"I'll do anything," the Prince said, then reached into his check book. "Tell the Rangers I'll give back all the Zandar treasures I took. The museum can keep them on display for however long they wish. I will also make a generous donation in the name of Zandar."

The Prince wrote up the check and gave it to Ivan, "Make sure this gets to... uh..."

"Lady Kendall?" Ivan frowned. "You don't know her name?"

"Kendall," the Prince said. "Make sure this gets to Kendall, and let her know it's from me. No strings attached."

Ivan looked to the piece of paper, as though he was checking for literal strings, then he nodded his head.

"I will do as you ask," he bowed before following his teammates. The Prince watched the Knight go, then reached into his pocket, taking out the graphite energem found in his name. The dullness of the stone was expected, given the colour, but the Prince could tell it was also a bad sign. When the other Rangers had shown their energems, they seemed to have a glow about them. Even the black energem. The Prince knew his was lifeless – it hadn't bonded with him yet.

"There must be something more I can do," he said, wracking his brain for more good deeds.


	2. Gifts From Zandar

Kendall looked to the check, then up to Ivan, shaking her head in disbelief.

"I don't understand..."

"The Prince wanted you to have this," he said. "And he wished me to inform you he would return all the Zandar treasures. They are the museum's to keep."

"Just like that?" Kendall asked. Suddenly, her work phone rang. Kendall rushed across the lab to answer it. "Kendall Morgan..."

"Ms. Morgan, there's a delivery here, for you," the employee on the other line stated.

"Can it wait?"

"Uh... it's pretty big. And you're going to like it."

Kendall turned to her Rangers. They had only just informed her that the Prince was back in town. She barely had time to wonder what could have brought him back before Ivan returned with the check and the message of the treasures. Neither of which were of any use to her. The museum made more than enough money to keep itself running and Kendall doubted, after the disaster they brought last time, that the public would be interested in yet another event for the Zandar treasures.

"He's trying to kiss ass, if you ask me," Tyler said. Kendall shook her head and let her curiosity get the better of her as she made her way to the elevator. If there was a delivery for her at the museum, she wanted to know what it was. She heard the others following. It seemed they were also curious.

"Around back," the employee who had called told Kendall when she saw her. "It's pretty amazing."

Kendall went to the loading bay and saw several trucks. Some of which were unloaded the treasures of Zandar, while other seemed to be carrying fossils. Kendall's jaw dropped as one box was placed before her. Koda tore open the lid, allowing Kendall to reach inside. She pulled out the skull of a pachycephalosaurus.

"He's offering us this?" Kendall asked. She examined the skull carefully, looking for signs of authenticity. When she knew it was real, and when she saw the rest of the shipment contained the rest of the skeleton a thought came to mind. She gave Shelby the skull and headed back inside the museum.

"Ms. Morgan, where are you going?" Riley asked.

"The graphite energem bonded to the pachycephalosaurus," Kendall said. "All the energems I've discovered have been found with complete fossils of the dinosaurs they were bonded too. There is no way this is a coincidence."

Kendall walked back to her lab and set up her scans. After a few moments of searching, she had her results. She turned to the Rangers.

"It's not bonded," she said. "But there are faint signs of the graphite energem right here, in Amber Beach."

"Do you think it would be with the fossils upstairs?" Tyler asked. Kendall shook her head.

"The signals aren't coming from the museum. There's somewhere in the city," Kendall said. "Though, if the Prince managed to find a completely pachycephalosaurus fossil, I get the feeling he also found the graphite energem."

"So, we need to talk to him again?" Riley asked. "After what he did..."

"Forget what he did."

"But Ms. Morgan..."

"I'm fine," Kendall assured the Rangers. "All that matters right now is getting the graphite energem to safety. Since it's not bonded, it could be even more dangerous if Fury or Sledge get their hands on it. Fine the prince, convince him to hand it over."

"You're on, big guy," Tyler turned to Koda, patting him on the shoulder. Koda nodded. He wouldn't give the Prince a choice in the matter. He would give up the energem, or Koda would show him exactly what his running away had done to Kendall.

-Dino-Charge-

"I'm going to have the best report," Cammy smiled as she reached for another marker. Chase knew enough about his home country for a third grade report, and what he didn't know, the teacher's website suggestions had covered. So long as they continued at the pace they were working now, they would be done before her parents came to pick her up.

"You do have the best country," Chase told her. "Whoa, Cammy, slow down on the sheep."

"You said there were a lot," Cammy pointed to all the pictures she had already drawn. "More sheep than people, right?"

"Yeah, but you don't want your whole poster to be sheep," Chase chuckled. "New Zealand has a bunch of other animals you can draw. Or, how about including a Maori?"

"A what?"

"A Maori is..." Chase tailed off when he looked up and saw the other Rangers rushing out of the museum, with Riley casting a quickly glance his way to inform him he was needed. Chase got up, patting Cammy on the shoulder.

"I'll explain later, alright," he said. "Keep up the good work, Cammy."

"But, Chase! I..." Cammy huffed as Chase disappeared, leaving her by herself with her homework. He had already written down a lot of notes for her to complete her report on her own, but Cammy still wanted his help to get everything organized. Her teacher had asked for the report to be clear and well presented. Cammy just had a bunch of facts.

"Stupid Ranger stuff," Cammy pouted as she looked to all the work she had left. "Maybe Ms. Patterson was right. This is a lot for one night..."


	3. Eaten by Guilt

The Rangers caught up with the Prince just outside the homeless shelter. As it turned out, he had donated money to the shelter so they could afford food, clothing, blankets as well as other supplies they would need. If it had been anyone else, the Rangers would have been happy to see a good deed being done. But they were all still angry with the news of how the Prince had treated Kendall. Koda was ready to break his skull, and was held back only by the fact that cowardice wasn't a good reason to hurt another human.

Chase, after learning the truth on his way over, was more than ready to break the Prince's neck. He grabbed the Prince by the arm, dragging him off to a nearby ally with the others. There was more privacy to talk about their Ranger duties, and there would be less people around to see him hurt the Prince if the occasion called for him. He shoved the Prince in the brick wall.

"Where is it?" he asked.

"Does the museum need more?" the Prince asked. "Or perhaps I should make a donation to Kendall herself..."

"Stay away from Kendall!" Koda growled.

"We know you have the graphite energem," Tyler said. The Prince looked to his jacket. He reached into his pocket to pull out the energem in question.

"I only found it about a week ago," he said. "I've tried everything, but the energem still hasn't chosen me."

"Ha!" Chase laughed in his face. "You think, after what you did, the energem would choose to bond with you?"

"I know I ran back there," the Prince said. "It wasn't my finest moment..."

"You could have gotten her killed!"

"And I do so regret that," the Prince nodded. "That's why I've been doing this. Energems bond with Rangers. Rangers are heroes. My good deeds for the city of Amber Beach should make me a hero."

"Energems no bond with hero," Koda told him. "Energem bond with people who do good."

"What more can I do?" the Prince asked. "I've donated my money, my treasures and my discoveries to the museum. I brought food to the homeless shelter. I've even got plans to build a park for the children of Amber Beach. I was just about to head to the local school with a truckload of supplies..."

"Why?" Shelby asked him. "Because it's the right thing to do or because you want to be a hero?"

"There is a difference," Riley added.

"And none of what you're doing can begin to make up for what you almost did to us," Chase said. "You traded Kendall to Fury? You left her to fight Sledge on her own?"

"It's not like I had the means to help," the Prince said. "But I've been working on that too. I've hired a professional trainer, the best in the world. I assure you, the next time those monsters turn up..."

"You'll sick another robot on them?" Tyler asked. "Like you did earlier?"

"I thought I was helping," the Prince said. "With a robot, you don't need to worry about sacrifices. If they get destroyed, you can just build a new one. He was supposed to help you."

"We want nothing from you," Chase said and snatched the energem from the Prince. "You nearly cost us a good friend..."

"I couldn't have done anything anyways!" the Prince argued. "At least Kendall made it out alive. If I had stayed..."

"If you hadn't taken the gold energem from us in the first place, neither of you would have been in that position," Chase growled. "We'll take the energem back. We'll find a better owner for it. Come on, guys."

Tyler, Shelby and Riley followed Chase, leaving the alley. Koda, once more, stayed behind. He glared angrily at the Prince.

"Owe Kendall apology."

"I've done all I could," the Prince said. "I've given back the treasures, I've donated to the museum. What else..."

"Not with things," Koda said. "If Prince truly sorry, he tells Kendall."

"I agree with Sir Koda," Ivan nodded as he looked to the Prince. "You have wronged Lady Kendall."

"I... I can't face her again," the Prince shook his head. "Since that attack, I've felt nothing but guilt and shame. Until my return, I wasn't even sure she had survived. I thought bonding with the energem, becoming a hero, would make up for my mistake."

"Kendall is best friend," Koda put his hand on his chest. "I very scared when hear Sledge attack her. No one replace best friend."

"He is right," Ivan agreed once more. "Becoming a hero would not make up for a life lost."

The Prince looked down at his shoes and he could feel the guilt still eating away at him. It seemed it didn't matter what he did. Treating his servants with more respect couldn't fix him. Making donations to the museum made him feel good for only a brief amount of time before the guilt came back. Donating to the city didn't make him feel any better. The guilt and the shame were still overwhelming.

"An apology, you say?"

"To Kendall," Koda said. "I give one chance to make right with Kendall. If Prince refuse..." Koda trailed off to crack his knuckles. The Prince gulped.

"I will give my best apology."

Koda shook his head. "No. Apology with heart."


	4. The Sincerest of Apologies

Koda didn't really want to reunite Kendall and the Prince. After hearing how Prince Phillip had essentially left her for dead at the hands of Sledge, Fury and the whole gang, he never wanted the Prince to come near the scientist again.

However, those were his feelings, and while they were important, they weren't what mattered in this case. Kendall was owed and apology, and she wouldn't get that without sitting down with the Prince. So Koda had arranged to meet with Phillip and Ivan in the park. He would bring Kendall.

He saw the Knight and Prince sitting at the picnic table and walked over with Kendall. He kept close to her and gave the Prince a look. He wanted it to be known he was going to protect his best friend and that the Prince needed to get this apology right, otherwise it would count for nothing.

"Koda said you needed to speak with me," Kendall said to the Prince, who nodded his head.

"I did. I mean, I do," he said, then cleared his throat. He had never had to apologize before. He had been raised to believe he was better than the people who served him and the people he ruled. If he made a mistake, rather than correct it, he asked it be forgotten. His kingdom accepted that as their way because he was Prince and that was always how the royal family acted. The Rangers from Amber Beach didn't seem to have the same mindset. Koda, especially, felt that since the Prince had wronged Kendall, he owed her an apology at the very least. "This concerns my behaviour the other day. I summoned you here for an apology. My wish was not to put you in danger."

Kendall frowned. She looked to Ivan then to Koda, unable to believe what she was hearing.

"Are you kidding me?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"You didn't even hesitate when Fury asked for the energem. You took it and ran, leaving me to him."

Koda clenched his fists. He hated hearing this story. Kendall put her hand on his arm to keep him calm while she looked to the Prince. "Then with Sledge, you purposely left me behind."

"I..."

"You expected me to try and save your ass," Kendall got to her feet. "I'm sorry, but if I'm going to accept an apology, I at least, need it to be honest."

"I am stricken with guilt," the Prince said. "I have not been able to sleep or eat or think of anything but..."

"And that's my fault?" Kendall asked. "I'm supposed to just accept your apology so you can feel better?"

"Well, yes," the Prince nodded and seemed a little confused by Kendall's refusal. "Isn't that how this works? I apologize, you forgive me and everything is good again?"

"When you apologize, you mean it," Kendall turned around to leave. "I've got better things to do than ease your conscience. I'll be happy to hear your sincerest apology when you can come up with it. Until then, I have work to do."

Koda followed Kendall as she left, a little confused on why she had turned down the apology. He had brought her all the way out here so that the Prince could ask for her forgiveness, and he had. Yet, Kendall had turned him down and seemed offended by the Prince's apology.

"Kendall is still angry at Prince?" he asked. Kendall shook her head.

"I'm not angry with him, Koda. I feel nothing."

"Not angry?" Koda asked. "But not forgive Prince?"

"Don't tell me you, of all people, believed that garbage he spewed was sincere."

"I..." Koda scratched his head. He had only focused on the apology itself, not the meaning behind it. Thinking again, he did notice the Prince's body language didn't seem too repentant. It was still mostly guilt.

"My life's been empty apologies, Koda. My mother apologized time and time again for my father leaving, but then tells me I was better off. My social worker apologized for my mother killing herself, but didn't care enough to attend the funeral so I would have a familiar face. She also apologized for my father never showing up, but didn't bother tracking him down. There's a difference between a sincere apology, and one you make to ease your own discomfort about a situation."

Koda nodded his head. Kendall was right. Forced apologies were never true.

"I sorry," Koda said. "I wanted Prince to give real apology."

"I know you did," Kendall said. She turned to Koda, wanting to give him a smile to reassure him she wasn't angry with him, but as soon as she did she saw Fury in the corner of her eye, making his way over with a blaster raised at her and Koda. She had no idea what came over her but as Fury took a shot, she pushed Koda out of the way. Maybe she forgot momentarily that he could morph or maybe she just assumed he wouldn't have time. Koda hit the ground off to the side while the blast shot the ground right at her feet, sending Kendall flying through the air.

"No!" Koda shouted and turned to Fury, seeing he had arrived with backup. Viviks were following him, but the Prince's robot stood at his side, seemingly ready to fight. Koda clenched his fists and growled as he was joined by Ivan. The Prince stayed at the table in the park, shocked and terrified by the danger before him.

"I take Fury," Koda said to Ivan as he eyed the overgrown cat. "You fight machine."

Ivan gave a nod to say he had heard Koda before the two of them rushed to battle. Koda ploughed through the Viviks standing before Fury as he took on the cat, while Ivan took his time with the robot, trying to figure out how he was supposed to battle the machine.

Kendall, meanwhile, was shaking the cobwebs. Her ears were ringing, her vision was spinning and blurred, both from the explosion and having lost her glasses. She barely managed to sit herself up to start looking for them when she thought she heard something coming towards her. At first, she hoped it was the other Rangers showing up to the battle, but then she saw recognised the white blur of the viviks and knew she had to get up quickly. She forced herself to her feet and did her best to fight with the limited vision she had, but she was quickly knocked down. Before anymore harm could come to her, the vivik closest to her disappeared, and Kendall recognized the familiar colourful blur of the other Rangers coming to the scene. Chase made his way over to her, scooping up her glasses from the ground a little way off before handing them to her.

"Are you okay?" he asked her and Kendall nodded her head.

"I'll be fine," she said. "Koda says you got the energem?"

"Tyler's got it," Chase called to the red Ranger, signalling that they swap places. With Fury close, he didn't want to draw attention to Kendall or the energem. Tyler came over to Kendall's side while Chase held off the viviks.

"I'll take the energem back to the lab," Kendall said. Tyler helped her to her feet before he placed the energem in her pocket.

"You're okay to make it back by yourself?"

"Koda's keeping Fury busy," Kendall nodded. "As long as you hold off the viviks and the robot, I'll be fine."

"Be careful," Tyler told her. Kendall gave another little nod and turned her back as she started to run. Now, with an energem in her possession, she needed to break away from the fight as quickly and quietly as she could. But Fury, as always, had other plans. He kicked the blue Ranger to the ground and stomped on his chest, pinning him there just long enough so he could order the robot to attack Kendall. She had no idea why he always assumed she had an energem on her, or why most of the time he was right, but it was a habit of his she found extremely annoying. The robot, with a swing of the arm, struck Ivan down and rapidly started to approach Kendall. The other Rangers were tied up, either swarmed by viviks, under Fury's boot, or as was Ivan's case, trying to get up quickly enough to help.

"Over here!" the Prince suddenly shouted from the picnic table and was waving his arms around. He jumped, doing all he could to attract the attention of Fury and the robot. "It's me. I found the energem. I have it!"

Kendall furrowed her brow. Was he crazy? What did he think was going to happen? If his plan worked, he would be face to face with his own robot, which surely Fury had upgraded to be deadly. If it didn't, he would look like a fool.

"Prince Phillip..."

"This is my mess," the Prince said and reached into his pocket. He never revealed what he pulled out, but he appeared to be holding something. "In my hand, I hold the graphite energem. You want it, you beast, come and get it!"

Kendall frowned deeply. Insane: that was her verdict. The Prince of Zandar must have been insane. Only a few weeks before he had traded her life, twice, to spare his own and keep the energem. Now, he was putting himself in harm's way and for what? Fury hadn't even noticed he was in the area until he started jumping and calling out.

The robot approached the Prince, who readied himself to fight. Kendall watched in awe as the once arrogant, cowardly Prince held his own against the attack robot. Surely it was no easy task. Nothing Fury threw the Ranger's way was easy. But the Prince managed to keep his own creation at bay long enough for Ivan to get to his feet and join the fight.

Still, the Prince didn't back down. He remained in the battle until Fury shot at him and Ivan, knocking them both to the ground. Fury rushed over to the Prince, grabbing his hand with the intention of stealing the energem.

But there was nothing there.

"You... you deceived me!"

"Unhand the Prince!" Ivan cried, grabbing Fury and throwing him away from Phillip. The Prince jumped to his feet and finally started to run. He made his way towards Kendall and she pulled him behind a tree.

"Have you lost your mind?"

"You were supposed to run," the Prince told her. "I was buying you time."

"What?"

"I... you called me out," the Prince said. "My apology back there, it was for me. I've just... I've felt so badly in regards to what I put you through and I was ready to do anything to ease that guilt. My donations weren't charitable, they were selfish. And my apology wasn't for you. But now it is. Kendall..."

"Ms. Morgan."

"Ms. Morgan," the Prince glanced over his shoulder, just to make sure he actually had enough time for his apology. Seeing the Rangers were all back on their feet, holding off the monsters for now, the Prince knew he had time, but not much. "I was selfish, arrogant and... well, an arse. My actions were unforgiveable. Nothing I say or do can make up for the danger I put you in but please, you must understand, I truly am repentant. I will never put my selfish desires ahead of the needs of another person. You have my sincerest apology."

"Prince Phillip, I..." Kendall felt something warm in her pocket and reached in to find the graphite energem was glowing. She pulled it out, then held it up to the Prince. He looked to the energem, then to Kendall.

"It's chosen you," she told him. The Prince took the energem in his hand and looked to her with confusion.

"But I don't understand," he said. "I've spent the better part of a week trying to get it to come to life, I..."

"The energems are partially sentient. They bond with the people they find deserving," Kendall said. "I take it, if it's chosen you, that apology came from your heart."

"It does," the Prince nodded. "I will treat people with respect and value the lives of those who cross my path. I swear it."

"Then morph and kick ass," Kendall said. She grabbed the Prince's shoulders, spun him around then shoved him out of hiding. The Prince stumbled somewhat before he turned to her. Kendall pointed to the energem. The Prince held it up and suddenly a morpher appeared in his hand.

"Activate," she whispered to him and the Prince repeated. As soon as he did, a graphite pachycephalosaurus suit materialized before him. He looked down in awe for a moment then turned his attention to Fury and his robot.

He was going to right his wrongs.


	5. Love Punch

Though he had done a good deed, the Prince looked onto disgruntled faces as he said his goodbyes. He had helped the Rangers stop his robot and Fury and had bonded with the graphite energem. He had been entrusted to keep it safe, and he was going to make sure nothing happened to it. However, he could see the Rangers were all still a little reluctant to accept him, given his mistake. He understood their position, especially after finding himself against Fury. The big cat was a force to reckon with while in the suit. He couldn't imagine the challenge anyone would face when up against him unarmed. But he was determined to make it up to the team.

"I do wish I could stay," the Prince said. "I feel I still have so much to learn, and so many apologies to make. Unfortunately, I cannot neglect my duties as prince of Zandar. I may be far, but I do swear to protect the graphite energem with my life."

"It's the least you could do," Chase muttered, rolling his eyes along with the other Rangers.

"Feel free to use my Zord," the Prince told him. "And any other resources you may need to fight off Sledge and Fury. And if my assistance is ever required, I will fly down first thing. My Jet can have me here within the day."

The Prince didn't expect much of a goodbye from his new teammates, but was a little hurt when they turned around, ignoring him completely. He sighed and started to make his way to the elevator. Just as the doors closed, Kendall slipped inside. As the elevator lifted, she handed the Prince a communicator.

"To keep in touch," she told him. "A call on the Dino Com is always urgent. Answer it as soon as you hear it go off. It could mean life or death."

"I understand," the Prince nodded, taking the Dino Com. He put it in his pocket, then smiled at the scientist. "It must be nice having such a tight group."

"They do look out for each other."

"I meant you," the Prince said. "My guards are hired to protect me. If you'll pardon my language, but they only cover my arse because it earns them a paycheck. You have friends that go out of their way to ensure your safety."

"I do?"

The Prince nodded as he pointed to his eye. It was still black and swollen from when Tyler had punched him. And though the bruising hurt, the Prince couldn't deny he had earned it.

"You didn't notice I had this before the fight. That Red Ranger, he hits hard."

"Tyler did that to you?" Kendall asked.

"In your honour," he answered. "He was quite miffed about what I had done to you."

"You're sure it wasn't Koda? Or Chase?"

"I think I'd remember being punched by a caveman," the Prince chuckled. "And Chase was already gone at that point. Tyler hit me, and the others looked like they were jealous they hadn't done it first. I'd be angry about it, if I wasn't wildly jealous."

"Of me?" Kendall asked. "You're jealous of my _friends?"_

"You seemed surprised," the Prince said.

"I... I just, didn't expect something like this from them," Kendall said. "I didn't know they felt that protective of me."

"Fiercely," the Prince nodded. The elevator reached the museum and he stepped off, turning around to look at Kendall one last time. "I don't have friends like that. Being Prince can get rather lonely at times. I do hope the others will come to see I truly am sorry for putting you in harm's way. It would be an honour to have friends like yours."

With that, the elevator doors closed and Kendall felt herself moving down, back to the lab. When she arrived, she looked to her Rangers, feeling a little sense of pride.

The Rangers weren't just her friends. They cared for her. So much so, they would risk punching a Prince in the face to defend her. They gave him the cold shoulder, because his actions had almost cost them her.

"Good, you're here," Chase said, pulling Kendall out of the elevator. "Cammy's presenting New Zealand to her class right after lunch. We all thought we'd surprise her and show up to cheer her on. Her project, after all, is going to be the best one there."

"If you say so yourself," Riley teased the black Ranger. "Not that you're biased or anything, right?"

"Just because I'm biased, doesn't mean I'm not right," Chase said. He looked back at Kendall. "So, what do you say? Parents were invited and I think it'd be pretty cool for the kid to finally have someone in the audience rooting for her, don't you think?"

Kendall nodded her head. "She'd love that."

"We get banners?" Koda asked. Shelby shook her head as she walked out with him, Riley and Chase.

"It's not like a sport's game," she said. "It's a third grade presentation. All we have to do is show up."

"So... no face paint either?"

"Not this time," Riley laughed.

Kendall hung back, pulling on Tyler's arm so he didn't take off with the others. Once the elevator went up, she turned to the red Ranger.

"So, I noticed the prince leaving with a bruise," she said. "And it never occurred to me to thank you."

"For punching the Prince?" Tyler asked. "I figured that would be frowned upon in whatever Ranger rulebook you've got."

"Generally speaking," Kendall nodded, "Rangers are not supposed to escalate a fight. In this case, though, it was appreciated."

"He told you it was me."

"He did. I figured out why. I've got to say, I was surprised to hear it came from you."

"I know," Tyler said. "I'm not normally the kind of guy to just deck someone, but after the way he treated you... I couldn't stop myself."

"I didn't know you felt that way," Kendall said. Tyler looked to her curiously.

"What do you mean? Ms. Morgan, the guy almost had you killed twice in a matter of hours. We were all pissed with him. I'm just surprised no one else tried to get a shot in."

"Well, thank you."

"Anytime," Tyler chuckled. "Though, let's just hope the next Ranger we recruit doesn't give me a reason to want to punch them."

"Hopefully, that'll be the last," Kendall nodded. She pointed to the elevator. "Cammy's waiting."

"Let's go."


End file.
